We got a serious case of the awws when we read that
Frida Giannini and
Patrizio di Marco,
Gucci’s creative director and CEO, respectively, have outed their relationship to the world after more than two years of dating. Workplace romances can be risky, but after a fateful business trip to China, the two knew that it was a risk they were willing to take.
It seems like they went about their “coming out” in all the right ways: they separately met with
François-Henri Pinault, the chief executive of PPR (which owns Gucci), to admit the affair—aware that they might lose their jobs—but luckily, Pinault was “very supportive.” They told the rest of the company before the rest of the world, and we’re hoping that everyone’s as supportive as we are.
This is the second day in a row that our chosen news story has been about the personal relationships of fashion royalty, and though we’re still concerned about the privacy limits that are breached, we totally get that Giannini and di Marco wanted to come clean. It’s nice to hear about a thriving relationship, and we can’t help but imagine that this one is a bit of an Italian fairy tale—full of beautiful clothes, hair products, late night dinners in small cafes, and lots of red wine.
THEY SAID…
Fashionologie: “Although many fashion brands are or have been run by couples — Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge — this marks the first time the couple is not the owners of the brand but rather its employees.”
Frida Giannini: “You don’t want to leave the door open for any criticism. There was transparency, but it was not universal; it was logical. Now there will be more. But that doesn’t mean that Patrizio and I will start to kiss in a meeting.”
Patrizio di Marco: “The relationship Frida and I have is very serious. When in life you choose someone to be with… someone you are looking to spend your life with–well, this is a match of minds and souls. We don’t agree on everything. But you only really argue when you have something important to argue about. Otherwise you realise it’s not worth it.”
François-Henri Pinault: “This is a family business—it was started by my father, and I know how that can feel and seem to the outside world, but I also know how much that makes you be strict with yourself. And I knew them, so I knew if anything this would make them more demanding with themselves.”
WE SAID…
Sarah Daniel, beauty editor: “Someone’s love life is not important or any of our business, but if you’re a public figure there is no such thing as a private life anymore. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality. If you’re someone like Frida or Jenna, thinking you can have a covert courtship is naïve and fighting it only makes us want to know more, turning the most mild-mannered girl into a bloodhound. Humans are nosy and voyeuristic by nature, so of course we’re all very interested in who our heroes and heroines are sleeping with. Not only that, we want to know what their house looks like, what’s in their closet, and on their bathroom counter. It’s why sites like Into the Gloss are so popular.”
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